Pietro Beretta (Brescia, Italy) Premium-Grade Side-by-Side Shotgun

A deluxe double crafted a decade ago from antique parts in
Beretta's inventory, this shotgun was proofed for smokeless
ammunition and engraved for presentation to a former Beretta vice
president.

Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A., the world's oldest
gunmaking and industrial firm, has been producing firearms in
northern Italy since since the days of Leonardo DaVinci and
Christopher Colombus. Evidence suggests that Bartolomeo
Beretta, a master barrel maker, operated an iron forge in the Val
Trompia Valley as early as 1500.

Beretta-manufactured arms were used by the Venetian Republic in
its war with the Ottoman Turks in 1570, and after the region was
occupied by France in 1797, the Berettas were awarded a "Good
Service Certificate" from Napoleon Bonaparte for their part in
supplying 40,000 muskets annually for the French Emperor's Grande
Armee. Over the past four hundred years, the company has
produced every type of firearm from arquebusses to wheel lock and
flintlock pistols to modern automatic rifles, semi-automatic
pistols, and fine sporting arms, as well as machinery used in the
manufacture of guns. Many arms from Beretta's early period
survive in museums and private collections.

During the 20th century, Beretta has furthered its reputation as
a maker of high-quality shotguns. These range from simple but
functional pump-action guns to highly embellished handcrafted
presentation-grade pieces. The company continues to provide
firearms for military and police forces, both in Italy and
abroad. During the First World War, Beretta manufactured a
blowback-operated 9mm semi-auto pistol chambered for the Glisenti
cartridge.

This was followed by a .32 ACP version in 1922. Both of
these pistols featured internal hammers, but later pistol designs
featured an exposed hammer. Among these are the the M1923,
M1931, and Modello 1934, chambered for the 9mm Corto (.380 ACP),
which became the standard sidearm of the Italian Army during the
Second World War. Beretta is presently known as the
manufacturer of the Model 92FS/ M9 9mm Parabellum semi-automatic
combat pistol currently serving with U.S. and other armed forces
and law enforcement agencies.

Shotguns and pistols account for a large percentage of Beretta's
sales, but the gunmaker has also manufactured submachine guns and
battle rifles, including the 7.62 NATO caliber BM-59, a licensed
copy of the famous M1 Garand which features a detachable box
magazine. The company's first submachine gun was produced in
1917 in a joint venture with Fiat. This dual-barreled 9mm
Parabellum arm was capable of firing 3000 rounds per minute.
This arm was ineffective, but it started Beretta on a path that has
led to the production of .223 caliber M70 rifle and 9mm caliber M12
submachine gun.

After nearly 500 years and sixteen generations, Fabrica d'Armi
Pietro Beretta S.p.A. is still a family-operated business, headed
by Ugo Gussalli Beretta and his sons, Pietro and Franco.
Presently, Beretta manufactures a wide variety of custom firearms,
pistols, shotguns, bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles, and
military arms in state-of-the-art facilities in Brescia, Italy, and
in other locations in Europe and the Americas. Beretta U.S.A.
Corp. was founded in 1977 in Accokeek, Maryland, and the company
has been manufacturing firearms at this location since that
date.